Who made you God?
Despite all my ranting about the events in the middle east and elsewhere, I nevertheless feel more strongly about something else.
WHO MADE YOU GOD?
My point is this:
Who or what gives anyone the right to decide what is right and wrong?
I am possibly playing devil's advocate here, but even so. All human beings have an innate sense of what is right and wrong, as well as a conscious sense of the same. And we all, to varying degrees, express those views through our actions and judgments.
Which is natural, and as such unavoidable an to most of us, useful (the fact that many people think murder is wrong makes all our lives easier as opposed to a society where murder is considered normal, i.e. not deemed a bad action by the majority of the population).
I am not condoning (or even suggesting) anything here, this is purely a philosophical question, but does moral views really matter?
Granted, we adhere to the moral viewpoints of any given population at the time. We do so mainly because we fear the social and legal repercussions of taking actions that go against the prevailing moral stance. Not, in my view, because we actually feel an action is morally right or wrong. Social disdain and the threat of incarceration are much more powerful deterrents. We've all lied to people at various stages in our lives. Deep down we probably all believe lying is wrong, yet we still do it.
Actions 1 Right/Wrong 0.
We would be much less likely to commit fraud or perjury, as we'd rather not go to jail or be known as criminals in our society. Fraud and perjury are forms of lying. So why can we live with one and not the other? Because any action that entails a high risk of punishment is less desirable to carry out than one that isn't.
As we've seen as recently as when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern US, mayhem broke out among the survivors. People looted, raped and killed each other, partly due to the extreme circumstances but also (and perhaps because of these circumstances) due to the fact that they were outside the 'jurisdiction' of law and society.
Without those restraints we revert to a more animal state.
What gives anyone the right to preach what is right and wrong?
I mean, according to whose bench mark?
We've been put here like animals with the ability retain knowledge (beyond that of instinct) from generation to generation, enabling us to evolve the brain quicker and more successfully than other mammals. We're adapting with intelligence now, not physical evolution. But that is it. None of us are gods. None of us has the right to tell anyone else what is right or wrong. And you shouldn't expect that others should have conform to your moral stance.
Equally, you don't have to give a shit about what I'm writing and I don't expect you too.
WHO MADE YOU GOD?
My point is this:
Who or what gives anyone the right to decide what is right and wrong?
I am possibly playing devil's advocate here, but even so. All human beings have an innate sense of what is right and wrong, as well as a conscious sense of the same. And we all, to varying degrees, express those views through our actions and judgments.
Which is natural, and as such unavoidable an to most of us, useful (the fact that many people think murder is wrong makes all our lives easier as opposed to a society where murder is considered normal, i.e. not deemed a bad action by the majority of the population).
I am not condoning (or even suggesting) anything here, this is purely a philosophical question, but does moral views really matter?
Granted, we adhere to the moral viewpoints of any given population at the time. We do so mainly because we fear the social and legal repercussions of taking actions that go against the prevailing moral stance. Not, in my view, because we actually feel an action is morally right or wrong. Social disdain and the threat of incarceration are much more powerful deterrents. We've all lied to people at various stages in our lives. Deep down we probably all believe lying is wrong, yet we still do it.
Actions 1 Right/Wrong 0.
We would be much less likely to commit fraud or perjury, as we'd rather not go to jail or be known as criminals in our society. Fraud and perjury are forms of lying. So why can we live with one and not the other? Because any action that entails a high risk of punishment is less desirable to carry out than one that isn't.
As we've seen as recently as when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern US, mayhem broke out among the survivors. People looted, raped and killed each other, partly due to the extreme circumstances but also (and perhaps because of these circumstances) due to the fact that they were outside the 'jurisdiction' of law and society.
Without those restraints we revert to a more animal state.
What gives anyone the right to preach what is right and wrong?
I mean, according to whose bench mark?
We've been put here like animals with the ability retain knowledge (beyond that of instinct) from generation to generation, enabling us to evolve the brain quicker and more successfully than other mammals. We're adapting with intelligence now, not physical evolution. But that is it. None of us are gods. None of us has the right to tell anyone else what is right or wrong. And you shouldn't expect that others should have conform to your moral stance.
Equally, you don't have to give a shit about what I'm writing and I don't expect you too.
posted by tseuq at 8/01/2006 10:55:00 pm
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